Closing the Digital Divide

“Just about all of the economic, social and political aspects of modern life are impacted by the ability to use the internet.”

CU Professor Blake Reid says the Digital Divide looks at the ability for people to get access to the internet in various forms – wired connections in their homes or wireless connections to their smart phones and tablets…in cities, rural areas and tribal lands “what are the barriers that prevent people from getting access to the internet and taking advantage of all the opportunities it provides.”

Reid cites a Pew Foundation study that shows that 15% of Americans over the age of 18 that don’t access the internet for a variety of reasons “there are a lot of people who can’t access the internet either because it is not provided where they live, because they lack the financial means to get on, because they lack the education to be able to access it.” Reid says that means tens of millions of people in the US are unable to get online and that impacts people in a variety of ways “there is no doubt that it impacts the ability to participate in a democratic society, to access information, to be informed about what’s going on in news and politics, to participate in the job market – many job applications now are only online, interviews are conducted over Skype or video conferencing. Being able to participate in the market, to buy or sell goods is increasingly moving on line. So just about all of the economic, social and political aspects of modern life are impacted by the ability to use the internet.”